Icon Of Saint Nicholas The Miracle-worker With Scenes From His Life On A Cypress Panel. Russia

Icon of Saint Nicholas the Wonderworker depicting scenes from his life, painted on a cypress panel in Russia during the second half of the 19th century. This work presents a luminous and solemn image of one of the most revered saints in the Orthodox Christian tradition. The icon combines the intimate nature of a private devotional image with the rich narrative tradition of hagiographic iconography.

The central panel features a half-length figure of Saint Nicholas in the traditional iconographic style: the saint is depicted wearing his episcopal vestments, blessing with one hand and holding the Gospel. In the upper part of the central panel are images of Christ and the Mother of God, emphasizing Saint Nicholas’s spiritual role as a defender of the faith and a miracle-worker.

Surrounding the central image are sixteen finely painted hagiographic scenes illustrating episodes from the life, deeds, and miracles of Saint Nicholas. These include, in particular: the Nativity and Baptism of the saint, the instruction of the woman with the healed hand, his early education in reading, the saint’s ordination, his elevation to the rank of priest, the rescue of the three young women from poverty, his apparitions to Emperor Constantine in a dream, the rescue of three men condemned to death, Saint Nicholas’s miracle concerning the three icons, the rescue of Dimitri from drowning, the rescue of the Patriarch of Mount Athos, the deliverance of Basil’s son who had been captured by the Saracens, the miracle of the impoverished tax collector, the Dormition of Saint Nicholas, and the translation of his relics.

The painting is distinguished by a subtle chromatic balance, a strong decorative unity, and a harmonious combination of the gilded background with the refined miniature treatment of the hagiographic scenes. The work as a whole attests to the high level of mastery of an icon painter well-versed in the traditions of the Mstiora iconographic school of the second half of the 19th century.

Dimensions: 35 × 30 cm.

Material: Cypress panel, levkas (gesso ground), tempera, gilding.

Condition: Good condition, showing natural signs of age consistent with the period of creation and the technique used.